British PM Andy Burnham formally opened his newly created northern office
LONDON: British PM Andy Burnham formally opened his newly created northern office on Friday, promising “a different way of running Britain” as he bids to reverse decades of centralising power over England in London.Unveiling No 10 North in the northwestern city of Manchester, Burnham — who replaced Keir Starmer as premier on Monday — pledged power would “flow” away from London’s Whitehall governing district to spur economic growth. “It’s not just a new office,” he told staff at the city centre site. “This is the place where Whitehall meets the rest of the country.”The former Greater Manchester mayor says the thriving city-region – which has outscored Britain’s national performance in various areas, including economic growth – provides a model for other parts of the country. He aims to work from No 10 North at least once a week, dismissing criticism it was a “short-lived gimmick”. “It creates that sense of a more balanced country and that big things can be done from here,” Burnham insisted.Devolution experts, however, appear unconvinced. ‘De-concentration’ is “something done in even very centralised states and in itself doesn’t signify any transfer of power”, academic and policy adviser Alan Trench told AFP. “At most, it transfers public sector jobs and the lives and incomes of those who hold them.”The UK – comprising England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – saw significant constitutional reforms in the late 1990s that created devolved parliaments in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast. London also obtained a directly elected mayor and a scrutinising assembly. But England itself remains one of Europe’s most centralised nations despite the creation of some regional mayors and other bodies in the last decade, experts say. “Nowhere in England has any devolved law-making power,” Trench noted.University of Glasgow professor Nicola McEwen said English devolution had been “very asymmetric”, hindered by London largely viewing it as something that “happens somewhere else”.Burnham experienced the limits of the current system during his nine years as Manchester mayor. Now in London, he has ordered departments including the finance ministry to make “targeted transfers of overarching strategic functions” to No 10 North, a minister told parliament this week.McEwen said handing No 10 North a strategic role was “positive” but success would still hinge on Whitehall agreeing to cooperate. However, University of Aberdeen politics professor Michael Keating noted it was “deeply ironic that to deal with centralisation you set up a central govt department that’s going to decide exactly who gets what”. Under “real” devolution “you get out of their way”, he said.Others noted relocating civil servants was neither bold nor original. Around 80,000 govt staff already work in northwest England, Burnham’s spokesman acknowledged this week. Burnham, who met the nationalist leaders of Scotland and Wales on Thursday, has said little about further devolution — other than ruling out supporting independence referendums.(This is an AFP story)
